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VGPolyglot said:
Jon-Erich said:

The state merely exists to enforce the rule of law and in recent centuries, they are supposed to protect and defend the liberties of the individual. That is the purpose of the state. As for food, water, shelter and social interaction, if it was always the role of the state to provide those necessities, then we as a species would never have made it as far as we did. If you have a population of people who are too ignorant to figure out how to obtain these things, then you have a civilization that simply will not last. As for work, I'm sorry, but nobody owes you a job. You actually have to find one. As for finding a good job that you like, just like the standard of living, that is more of a preference issue than anything. Some people like working at McDonald's while others prefer something might require higher education. Then there are some people who simply want to work for themselves. Some people want to have responsibility and be a boss and some people don't. Some people (many of which who would probably agree with you) would love to have the authority of a boss without the responsibilities. I used to get a lot of those when I worked at Walmart. When or if you get fired, that is simply life. Sometimes it is your fault and sometimes it isn't. The truth is no matter what job you have, even if it is working for the government, that job may not always exist, but in an open and free market, another job will. For example, 30,000 people will lose their jobs because of Toys R Us closing down. That's bad news. The good news is if any of those people are still interested in that line of work, then there are many Toys R Us competitors that they can work for.

The US Delcaration of Independence itself lists life as an inalienable right, and you need water, food and shelter to survive. Of course you can argue that they're bullshitting, but that doesn't change the explicitly stated goals of the state.

Also, I think the "just get another job" line of reasoning neglects the fact that there are more people than jobs though, you can't just go and find another job because there are not other jobs to find in the first place.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/08/08/there-are-7-million-unemployed-and-6-2-million-job-openings-whats-the-problem/?utm_term=.94afce360880

First of all, the US Declaration of Independence was not a list of promises or laws. It was a series a grievances to justify the separation from England. The grievances had to do with government tyranny and oppression, and lack of proper representation, not that government wasn't providing enough. Second, the right to life merely means that no one has the right to take that from you. For example, the President can't simply send people to your home to kill you just because he doesn't like you. It does not mean that someone else is responsible for making sure you're alive. Yes, you need food, water and shelter to survive. However, since you do have the right to life, that means you have the freedom to go out and obtain those things. In some countries around the world, you don't. In fact, in some countries, if you try obtain any of that on your own, you get punished. Third, that article you posted was from August. Since then, more jobs have been created, especially within the last few months. Also, I learned something long ago since I have a background in art. I learned that If you can't find the job you want, or just find one, you have no other choice but to create one. That's really a key factor. People need to find a trade, something they're good at and then exploit it. That's basically how the modern internet got to where it was. 



Check out my art blog: http://jon-erich-art.blogspot.com